Old Habits Die Hard
by InsanityEpicdemic
Summary: Kyle Broflovski's life takes a sudden turn when he falls for the infamous Craig Tucker, but whether that turn is for the better or worse will soon unravel in the not so quiet little mountain town. [Craig/Kyle][Butters/Kenny] among others. Rated M for good reason. Includes bad language, violence, angst, self-harm, M/M and (minor, temp) character deaths.
1. Chapter 1

**Note: **My first ever fanfiction! There are a lot of pairings in this multi-chaptered story, however the main focus is Cryle [Craig/Kyle] with some smexy Bunny [Butters/Kenny] served on the side.

_Recommended Story Reading Width: 1/2_

**Disclaimer: **I do not own South Park, I am simply using the characters and surroundings created by Matt Stone and Trey Parker for my own twisted purposes ~

* * *

**"Old Habits Die Hard" **by Zeph Masters. a.k.a. _InsanityEpicdemic_

* * *

Kyle was sitting in the cafeteria eating lunch with Stan, Kenny, Cartman and Tweek when Butters came rushing in. When he spotted the group he started yelling, "Fellas, fellas!"

"What is it, Butters?" Kyle asked.

"It's Craig! He got into another fight with a senior!"

"Again?" Stan rolled his eyes.

They were in their junior year of high school and lately Craig had been getting in to one fight after another with seniors and had won every time which, evidently, only served to piss them off even more. At times, these seniors would even gang up on him, but those never got far as a teacher would always break it up.

The group hurried outside and Kyle immediately laid eyes on Craig. A big crowd had gathered around to view the event and they were all cheering, supporting either Craig or the senior student whose name escaped Kyle's memory.

"Who is that?" Kyle asked Clyde.

"That's Jake Davis," Token replied. "Apparently he just got out of juvenile hall."

"I heard he was in there for 20 years!" Clyde said excitedly.

"Dude, there's no way that's true." Kyle raised an eyebrow. "Do the math."

"Whatever, man, shit's going down." Clyde shrugged and went back to cheering.

"I betcha he wants to reclaim his title of undisputed champion or something like that." Butters said.

Jake was throwing insults at Craig, earning louder and louder cheering from the mass behind him. When Craig didn't honour his efforts with insults of his own he started flexing, in a rather cliché way, as to show off his great strength.

Craig just kept his dark eyes on his opponent, completely calm and seemingly unaffected by all the commotion.

"What's wrong, Tucker? Got nothing to say for yourself?"

"He's afraid!" someone yelled.

"No way! Show 'im Craig!"

A moment of silence passed between the boys before Jake finally snapped and went on the offensive. He lashed out at Craig, throwing a powerful punch that might've knocked anyone else out, but to his surprise, Craig caught it all the while keeping his composure. Not missing a beat, Craig elbowed the other male in the gut.

Jake stumbled back as the crowd cheered louder. Kyle even found himself cheering for their friend along with Butters and the others.

"What, that's all?" Craig said flatly.

"Shut your fucking mouth, asshole! You ain't seen nothing yet." Jake spat angrily. "I'll bash your head in you sonuvabitch."

And with that they exchanged multiple punches and kicks, both trying to knock the other one out cold. At one point Jake managed to land a hit on Craig's jaw, making him falter momentarily before returning it with a blow that made Jake lose his balance, which gave Craig the opportunity he needed to defeat the senior.

"Yeah! Go Craig!" Clyde practically jumped in excitement as Jake Davis lay out cold on the ground.

"AAARGH! That was awesome!" Tweek twitched sharply.

"Totally!"

Craig seemed only slightly winded as he brushed off the single drop of blood lingering by the corner of his mouth. Just as he always had, Craig was wearing a blue jacket along with his trademark chullo with a yellow puffball on top. One would think he'd outgrown his chullo by now, alas, one would be mistaken. To be honest, no one in their year had really changed. Kyle still wore his orange jacket and green ushanka with his wavy red hair showing.

But before the victory celebration could even commence, a teacher intervened.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Mr. Garrison yelled. His eyes scanned the area and finally his infuriated gaze found Craig. "Craig Tucker! I should have known! Off with you to the principals office, **RIGHT NOW!**"

Originally, Mr. Garrison only had the educational degree necessary to teach in elementary school, but had recently earned a degree to teach high school classes. He claimed it was only because teaching older kids would be less of a pain, though most assumed he'd just missed his old third graders.

Kyle followed Craig with his eyes as the tall, black-haired male made his way back into the building. For a brief moment, his eyes locked with Craig's and Kyle could feel his heart skip a beat. He quickly looked away, not wanting to blush, and when he finally worked up the courage to face him again Craig had already disappeared into the school.

"Don't the rest of you have classes to attend?!" an enraged Mr. Garrison addressed the crowd.

As the students began to scatter a pained groan was heard from Jake who still lay on the ground, looking quite pathetic.

"And would someone take him to the infirmary?" he sighed before heading back inside.

"Ah that spoilsport..." Token sighed.

"Fucking asshole." Kenny exclaimed. His voice wasn't as muffled as it used to be, since they started high school he'd started showing more of his face, though his hoodie still covered most of it.

"Craig gets into fights like all the time, huh, fellas?" Butters said innocently.

"Told you guys Craig was more of a badass than Tweek." Cartman nodded in approval, only 9 years late and totally obvious.

As much as Kyle wanted to oppose his so called friend, he couldn't. There was simply no denying Craig's "_badassery"_, compared to him, Tweek really was just an overly caffeinated kid.

"We should probably get to our class." Stan shrugged.

"Probably won't be long till he gets into another fight. Let's bring popcorn next time." Clyde said.

The group laughed casually as they headed back into the building.

* * *

Their last class was fairly short, history with Mr. Garrison, and as usual - fairly boring. Kyle was still an A+ student, but it wouldn't kill him to slack off once in a while. He found that what was going on outside, namely nothing, was far more interesting than the teachers lecturing. When the bell finally rang, Kyle let out a relieved sigh, collected his books and exited the classroom.

On his way out, Kyle passed the counselors office. The aggravated voice of Mr. Thompson, the school counselor, echoed through the empty hallway. A moment later, the door flung open and a blank-faced Craig emerged. He had bruises all over from his very recent fight, the most apparent one right by his mouth.

For a moment Kyle was very unsure of what to do. He just stood there, probably looking like an idiot, watching Craig turning his way.

Despite Craig's emotionless expression Kyle was pretty sure he saw some distress lurking behind those dark eyes and for some reason unknown even to himself, Kyle felt sorry for him. Sure, he was a badass, loved to flip people off and get into fights but come to think of it, Kyle really only knew him by his reputation. He'd heard rumours about him having a rough environment at home and he did remember Cartman once helped him get revenge on his parents back in 4th grade.

To say the least, the badass Craig Tucker intrigued Kyle, and more than ever he wanted to figure him out.

Suddenly he found his look being met by a darker one, a flat, cold gaze. Realizing he'd been staring, he swallowed awkwardly.

"Hey, Craig." he approached the taller male.

"Hey." he replied in that monotone voice of his.

Silence.

"Heading home?" Kyle asked as Craig started walking.

"Yeah."

Kyle glanced at Craig's bruises, finding himself at a loss for words. They rarely talked, after all, making the situation all the more awkward. Craig's jet-black hair rested neatly over his forehead, hooding his eyes. As if reading his expression wasn't impossible before.

"Shouldn't you visit the school nurse?" there was more concern in Kyle's voice than he had intended.

The raven-haired boy paused at that. Looking back at Kyle he measured him with his dark eyes and emotionless expression. With a simple motion, he had caught the redhead completely off guard and Kyle was unable to look away. He felt an uninvited blush redden his face.

Without breaking eye-contact, Craig fully turned to face Kyle.

"Do you care?"

"W-well…" this time Kyle couldn't help but look away. Craig was at least a head taller and he was standing so close, the redhead could've reached out and touched him, and God forbid, he wanted to. He didn't know why the raven-haired male had such an impact on him, but he did, and it was frustrating.

As Craig took a step toward him, Kyle found himself backing off until he stood with his back against the wall.

"Well, what?" Craig persisted, leaning in closer.

Gathering all the courage he had left, Kyle forced himself to meet Craig's stare. They were standing so close now that they were almost cross-eyed. Unable to control himself, Kyle practically lunged himself at Craig, attacking his lips with his own. The noirette let out a surprised moan into Kyle's mouth before realizing and taking control of the situation. He forced the redhead back against the wall and closed what ever distance there had been between them. Kyle felt his knees grow weak as Craig's stronger form was the only thing keeping him from falling. They explored each other's mouths and Kyle entangled his fingers in Craig's dark, soft hair.

When they finally parted for air Kyle could see the lust in those addicting, dusky eyes, a lust no longer dormant, a hunger released from its slumber.

"Yes," he finally answered under his breath. "I do care."


	2. Chapter 2

"Pass me the chips, fat boy." Kyle demanded.

The group of friends were sitting in Kyle's living room playing video games on his Xbox, just generally having a fun time.

"Screw you, jew!" Cartman replied angrily, but passed him the chips nonetheless.

"So what's the plan for summer?" Kenny asked after a while.

"I heard Token's having a big party." Cartman said, stuffing his mouth with more chips.

"Yeah, we'll be seniors next year!" Stan said happily.

"It'll be totally awesome, you guys!"

"Yeah, lots of partying and sex and drugs!"

Kenny turned 18 that summer, which meant he could legally have sex, take drugs and everything else he'd already been doing for a long time. They had celebrated Kyle's 18th birthday only weeks earlier and Stan's birthday was next semester. Kind of sucked to be the youngest in the group, though, even if it only was by a few months.

As Kenny and Cartman were going on about how awesome their last year of high school would be, Stan noticed Kyle staring down at his phone for a good long minute. He wondered if he was texting someone, and whether or not he should care.

"What's so god damn interesting on that phone of yours, jew boy?" Cartman pointed to Kyle. "Play the fucking game, dude!"

"Texting someone special?" Kenny mused.

"No!" Kyle replied in somewhat faked anger.

Maybe Stan was a bit delusional, but he could've sworn his best friend was fighting off a blush that ultimately would have proved Kenny right.

Come to think of it, Kyle had been acting sort of strange lately, but much to Stan's surprise, he seemed to be keeping whatever was causing it a secret. Stan hadn't bothered asking him about it since it would probably turn out to be nothing, but sometimes he couldn't help but worry. The guy was his best friend, after all.

The blonde narrowed his eyes suspiciously and was just about to say something when his unspoken words were interrupted by Kyle's mother entering the room.

"You boys hungry?" she asked. "I've made dinner."

"Dinner? That's great, Mrs. Broflovski! I'd love some dinner, thank you."

At least Cartman had learned some manners over the years. But only some.

* * *

Kyle couldn't stop thinking about Craig. He imagined his rough, yet tender, lips pressed against his own, his dark hair and mysterious eyes. The very thought of Craig Tucker distracted Kyle from his everyday activities and more than once he'd been forced to snap out of his daydreaming.

"Dude, the fuck is wrong with you?" Cartman almost screamed into Kyle's ear.

"You've been like this for days." Kenny concurred, then he said, in a knowing voice; "Something on your mind?"

"Fuck you, Kenny."

It wasn't that he had _something _on his mind, more like _someone. _And that _someone _hadn't been home for the past 5 days. His parents had had just about enough of their son constantly getting into fights they decided to take the entire family on a therapeutical "vacation" in Denver. Kyle had no idea when Craig would be back and he hadn't realized, until now, just how much he missed being away from him.

He hadn't told anyone else about him and Craig. Heck, he wasn't even sure himself if they were dating or not. For all he knew that could have just been a one-time thing, but it sure as hell didn't feel that way. At least he hoped not.

On this particularly fine day, the group of friends were playing basketball, 3v3. Switching from offense to defensive play, with the two extras being Clyde and Tweek.

A vibration in his pocket made the basketball Stan passed him hit him in the head.

"Dude, you're really out of it." Stan noted.

"Sorry about that." Kyle pulled out his phone to find a new text message.

_Wanna meet up?_

Kyle shot up in excitement at the sight of the sender's name, Craig.

Ignoring the suspicious looks from his friends, Kyle fumbled with his phone, trying to quickly come up with the least desperate sounding response possible. His whole body ached with a desire to see Craig, but he restricted himself to simply stay put and respond.

_Sure. Where? _

"Meh, this is boring anyway." Clyde shrugged. "Let's do something else."

"Like what?" Stan picked up the basketball lying at Kyle's feet.

"I don't know, like play video games or something."

"We could check out that new game that just released for the 360." Cartman suggested.

Another vibration from his phone made Kyle's heart skip a beat.

_Someplace private. _

This wonderfully unexpected response had Kyle almost bubbling over with anticipation.

"You guys go ahead. I gotta go. Might join up with you guys again later." Kyle didn't even wait for a reply before he ran off.

"The fuck was that about?" he could hear Cartman's distant voice.

He quickly made his way down the streets of South Park, back the way he'd come a few hours ago. Glancing down at his phone, he noticed he still hadn't gotten a response from Craig, the latest message being the one he sent;

_My parents and brother are away for the day… _

When he arrived at his house he immediately reached for his keys, turned them over in his hand a couple of times before clumsily unlocking and opening the door. He didn't realize the other's presence until he felt his breath down on his neck.

"Long time no see…"

Craig's flat, low voice was intoxicating and for a moment Kyle was conflicted between happiness and disbelief. He turned around and was immediately swept up in a deep, passionate kiss.

Craig led him inside the house and closed the door behind them, never breaking the kiss even for a split second.

Kyle buried his fingers into Craig's hair, much like he'd done during their previous encounter, while the taller male's hands found their way under Kyle's shirt, exploring his bare back. The sensation of Craig's cold hands upon his warm skin made Kyle moan softly.

The next thing he knew, Kyle was lying on the couch with Craig kneeling over him, staring down at him with lustful eyes. When he began unbuttoning Kyle's jacket the redhead put a finger over his newfound lover's lips.

"Upstairs…" he whispered as seductively as he could.

Craig's eyes flashed at that, and to Kyle's surprise, he smirked. His smile was a rare treat, which made it an honest phenomenon to observe. The redhead placed a soft kiss on Craig's lips before leading him off the couch and up the stairs, into his room.

The raven-haired male didn't fancy being led and so as soon as the wooden door shut behind them he, almost violently, forced the redhead onto his bed. Craig's sudden act of dominance caught Kyle off guard and left him in a state of confusion, but this state disappeared as quickly as it had surfaced as Craig started placing tender kisses along Kyle's jawline and down his neck. The redhead moaned and put his arms around his lover's shoulders, pulling him in closer.

Craig tugged impatiently at Kyle's jacket with his teeth, unbuttoned it, and took it off along with his shirt, revealing the diabetic jew's smooth skin. Starting by the lower abdomen, the raven trailed his tongue up the redhead's naked chest until he reached a nipple which he began to lick and bite gently. Kyle moaned loudly and began trembling beneath his lover, who moved to play with the other nipple.

"Craig…" his back arched upward in approval.

Craig paused, leveling their faces to look him in the eyes. Somehow, when Kyle looked into those dark eyes he could tell exactly what the noirette wanted. And Kyle wanted it too. He nodded eagerly and started unbuttoning Craig's jacket all the while his black-haired lover yanked at his jeans and licked his earlobe.

Kyle loved the feeling of Craig's ragged breaths against his neck. It turned him on.

When Craig's jacket and shirt hit the floor and Kyle's pants came off, revealing his hard member, the black-haired male stopped and smirked. The redhead realized he was being teased and exclaimed, between uneven breaths,

"Fuck you."

His smirk widened. "I'd rather fuck you." he remarked flatly before leaning in for another kiss.

Kyle embraced his lover and pressed his body down against his own before whispering in his ear,

"Then do it, Tucker."

Without warning, Craig grabbed Kyle's throbbing cock and gently slid his hand up his length. The redhead moaned loudly to Craig's pleasure and dug his fingers into his broad shoulders. When the raven stopped to unzip his own pants, Kyle lent him a hand and as soon as his stiff member was exposed, he took it into his mouth. He started at the tip; licking and playing while his partner moaned in response. Craig dug his fingers into the redhead's scalp and pushed down carefully, making the smaller male take in more of his length.

When he felt he was nearing his climax, he pushed the redhead back onto the bed. With his cock coated with pre-cum and saliva he pushed into Kyle as gently as his lust would allow. The redhead groaned aloud in pleasure when Craig found his sweet spot. The raven moved slowly at first, not wanting to hurt his toy, and gradually picked up the pace as Kyle's body ached for release.

As his lover thrusted into him, Kyle gripped and tugged at the bedclothes to the point where his knuckles turned white, moaning louder and louder.

The raven sensed that Kyle was at his limit and with one final thrust to his prostate, Kyle cried out in pleasure as he came onto his own chest. A second later, Craig came inside his redhead lover.

Both teens panted heavily into each other's necks as Craig slid out of Kyle and collapsed onto the bed beside him, embracing him in his strong arms. Kyle rested his head on the raven's shoulder, entirely and shamelessly satisfied with how his day turned out.

When Kyle got his breathing under control he raised his head to look up at the man who'd just given him the time of his life and found him staring back.

"So…" Kyle smiled, "what happens now?"

The raven pondered on the question for a moment before cracking into a bright smile.

"Now, you're mine." he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Strangely content with the answer, Kyle returned to enjoying his lover's embrace while trailing his fingers along Craig's toned chest.

Kyle didn't join up with his friends later that day, after all.

* * *

**NOTE: **Okay, this is my first ever try at anything even remotely erotic, so please excuse it for being very weird ;P I'll try to do better in later chapters!

Any thoughts on the story so far? Reviews are much appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

**NOTE: **Bunny love! Also, as you might have noticed, I try to keep to all the characters' original behaviours even though most of them are 17-19 in this story, just for the sake of South Park :) Anyways, I hope you enjoy.

* * *

Leopold Butters Stotch was no longer host to one measly secret, no, now he had _two, _though the latest addition was arguable whether or not it was, in fact, a secret.

A few days earlier, on his way home, he had noticed someone leaving Kyle's house in the middle of the night, which was strange because the lights were still on in the house and Butters knew for a fact that Kyle was supposed to be the only one at home. At first, he'd thought it was Kyle and was about to call out to him when he realized it couldn't have been his jewish friend, he wasn't that tall. Which left the million dollar question; who was it?

"Hi, Butters….?"

The young blonde felt a familiar pair of hands slide in under his shirt and up his chest bare chest, and an equally familiar form pressing against his back. Soft hair against the back of his head and neck, teeth tugging at his shoulder through the thin fabric.

"Ken…" turning his head slightly, Butters saw the grin on his partner's face. A single drop of sweat slid down his forehead as Kenny McCormick's hands made their way higher up, bringing Butters' shirt up with them in the process. "N-not here…"

Kenny chuckled lightly and moved his lips up to the other's ear.

"Why? Afraid we'll get busted?" he purred.

"Actually, yes."

A moment of silence passed between the two teens before Kenny finally released Butters from his grasp.

"Fine," the slightly taller blonde pulled up his hood again and winked, "but you owe me one."

"I'll pay you back soon…" he promised.

* * *

Butters wasn't sure why he was so determined to crack the puzzle, but he was. This sort of explained Kyle's behaviour the past week. He was up to something fishy.

"Butters…" Kenny's voice made him lift his head to meet his concerned stare. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing's wrong…"

"Don't give me that… I can tell your moods apart… You're confused… You're doing that thing with your hands again."

Looking down at his hands, he realized Kenny was right, and immediately discontinued.

"You can tell me anything."

"C'mon, guys, you're holding up the lunch line." some guy behind them pushed Butters forward, almost knocking him to the ground, but to the blonde's relief, Kenny caught him.

"What's your deal, asshole?" Kenny yelled angrily as he helped Butters to his feet. "Come, Butters."

They got their lunch and trudged over to the table where Eric, Stan, Clyde, Token and Tweek were gathered around and joined the group.

Looking around, Butters searched for the missing pieces only to come up short.

"And so, anyway, this bitch tells me I can't play video games for more than TWO HOURS a day." Eric sulked.

"Quit trash-talking your mother, fatass." Stan rolled his eyes.

"If you love my mom so much why dontcha marry her," the _big boned _teen laughed loudly.

They all arched a brow at that. That comment was wrong on so many levels.

Butters had other things on his mind, though. He knew he shouldn't bother with something so trivial, something that would probably turn out to be nothing, but ignoring his friends weren't on his agenda.

"You can tell me." Kenny whispered in his ear.

"I-uh…" he attempted to form words before he'd even decided on what to say.

"Something wrong, Butters?" Stan asked. "You haven't even touched your food."

His eyes widened.

"I think…" he swallowed. "I think…" gathering courage, he finally slammed his fist down on the table. "I think Kyle's up to something."

"AHA! I knew it! It wouldn't be the first time." Eric cheered victoriously. "That sneaky jew's plotting something again."

"And… what exactly is Kyle plotting?" Stan asked in a rather bored tone. He didn't believe him. He hadn't expected him to.

Sighing, Butters told the gang what he'd seen a few days ago.

"So?" Stan raised an eyebrow. "That could have been anyone. Like his family might have come home early."

"Their car wasn't there." Butters insisted.

"My God." Eric's eyes widened in some sort of make-believe realization. "He's plotting to sue the photo dojo!"

"What?" Stan pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Seriously, fatass?" Kenny sighed.

"Why the hell would anyone sue the photo dojo?" Token shook his head.

"BECAUSE, Token, he knows about my next music video, the one that will earn me millions of dollars and, like the jealous jew he is, he plans to stop me."

"Al right, al right. Let's all pretend that Kyle wanted to stop you from making a million dollars with your new music video…"

"You're making music videos?" Clyde interrupted.

"Yes, pay attention."

Butters and Kenny exchanged confused glances, both wondering just why they were still listening to this.

"LIKE I was saying, if Kyle wanted to stop you, how would he go about suing the only photo dojo in town?"

"Dude, I don't know. That's why we have to find out. But it makes sense. Kyle was having a late night meeting with his lawyer."

"Kyle has a lawyer?" Clyde intervened again.

"YES, Clyde, pay fucking attention."

"This is so stupid." Stan collected his plate and stood up to leave when Eric grabbed his arm.

"Try to ignore it all you want, Stanley. But sooner or later we all have to face the truth."

Stan shook off Eric's hand and began walking away, but Eric Cartman was very persistent, and very persuasive.

"Free lobster and KFC during our counterplot meetings." he grinned.

Stan paused, looking rather conflicted, before returning to his seat. "So, what's the plan, fatass?"

"The fuck is going on?" Kenny whispered into Butters' ear.

"I haven't a single clue." Butters whispered back, and for some reason remembering the promise he'd made earlier. He'd have to remember to do something very special for Kenny later...

"Excellent." Eric nodded in approval. "We begin on the morrow. 8 AM, Village Inn."

* * *

Kenny loved Butters' innocent voice and how he stumbled over his words. He loved his pale, smooth skin and slick, thin form, but most of all, he loved the young blonde's sweet giggling when he brushed his fingertips along his fine features.

"Aren't you going to give me my present?" he purred.

Butters grinned shyly in response and slipped out from under him, retreating back into his closet, backpack in hand.

Kenny laughed and sat upright against the pillows. "Come out of the closet, gaymo."

"I've got something very special for you…" Butters replied from within the closet, ignoring Kenny's latest comment.

"Better be good, you're wasting precious play time…" Kenny reached out for the nightstand and grabbed a bottle of lube and a condom.

"Ken…" the closet door opened slowly.

"Holy fuck!" Kenny exclaimed when he saw Butters dressed up as his old alter ego; Marjorine. He wore a short, simple blue dress and his blonde peruk was tied up in two pigtails, hanging neatly down the side of his face. "I didn't know you still had that…" he gestured for the young teen to come closer. "Really brings out your eyes." he chuckled, and it was true. His bright sky-blue orbs for eyes shimmered even in the dimness of the room.

Marjorine made his way over to the bed and knelt over his lover. "Gee, mister… that sweater looks hella warm…" he played with the zipper.

"It is now." Kenny smirked and helped the shorter blonde unzip his orange parka, exposing his chest without taking it off.

After a bit of playing and teasing, Kenny decided it was time for some action. He held up the condom, smirking widely, never breaking eye contact. When Butters reached out for it, he put a finger to his lips and, with his other hand, pulled at his fake hair. "Nu-uh." he leaned in closer. "With your mouth." he gently inserted the goo-y condom between Butters' soft lips, careful not to damage it, before leaning back onto the pillows again.

Butters, a.k.a. Marjorine, smiled in excitement as he pulled down his lover's pants and underwear.

* * *

As Kyle was about to knock on the door to the the rundown McCormick's residence he wondered if it was such a good idea after all. The past two weeks had been the best of his life, but it had all been in secret, and now he sought professional advice. So who better to turn to than Kenneth McCormick?

Pushing all previous doubts aside he knocked on the door and waited patiently. It took a while, but his friend answered the door and greeted happily,

"Hey, dude." the blonde's hood was down and his orange parka unzipped.

"Uh, hey…" the redheaded teen began, "can I talk to you real quick?"

Kenny hesitated a moment before nodding. "Sure, come on in." he waited for Kyle to enter the house before he closed the door behind them. "What's up?"

"Well, I," Kyle was going to tell Kenny everything that had happened lately, not in detail, but the important bits, when he noticed something in his friend's bedroom. The door was open and glancing inside he could see a blonde girl sleeping in his bed. Except that it wasn't a girl.

"Uh, did you…?" Kyle's green eyes met Kenny's bright blue.

The blonde smirked proudly. "Yep," he nodded toward the form lying in his bed. "I'm hitting that."

"Oh."

Oddly enough, Kyle wasn't very surprised. After all; the two had, for a long time now, been very close.

"Yeah." Kenny's smirk widened. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Uh…" he'd almost forgotten what he'd come over for. "This is kind of weird to talk about, but,"

"Can't be weirder than usual." his friend shrugged.

"Well, it's weird for me." Kyle admitted. "You see, I've been… _seeing _someone lately."

"Oooh?" Kenny winked. "Who? Is it Bebe? Wendy? Perhaps Nicole?"

"What? No." he sighed. "It's Craig."

Kenny's eyes widened. "Wow." but his disbelief was quickly replaced by a smile. "Really not what I expected, but, congrats." then, he pondered on the information for a moment. "Come to think of it… You never could take your eyes off him."

Kyle chuckled. "I haven't told anyone else, not sure if I should either."

"So why did you tell me?"

"Because you have experience with this sort of thing?" he gestured toward the still sleeping Butters.

"True, true." Kenny slumped down on the couch.

"I'm not sure what I should do," Kyle sat down beside his friend. "I love Craig. I love being with him…" he trailed off, thinking about his tall, mysterious boyfriend.

"But?" Kenny asked after a while.

Returning to his senses, Kyle shook his head slightly. "No one, except you, knows. This does make me gay, right? Should I tell my parents? Stan and the others?"

"I see your problem…"

"How do you and Butters do it?"

"Our parents doesn't know. We haven't really _told_ anyone just like that, but I suspect people know anyways, and when people ask, I tell them the truth. It's no use hiding it, really, but making it into too big a deal is just asking for trouble."

"I guess that makes sense." the redhead said while processing the information. "My mom would kill me." he laughed uneasily.

"Well, if you love Craig then just keep being with him." Kenny shrugged. "The hell with everyone else, right?" he offered a smile.

"Yeah." Kyle returned the smile. "You're right."

"Aren't I always?"

A sleepy groan was heard from Kenny's bedroom, and glancing over, Kyle could see Butters tossing and turning in the bed.

"Looks like your _girlfriend_ is waking up." he grinned.

"Shut up." the blonde laughed.

Deciding it was probably best to leave it at that, Kyle rose from the couch and met his friend's gaze. "Thanks, dude."

Kenny merely nodded in response. When Kyle reached the door he called after him, "Also, Cartman thinks you're going to sue the photo dojo."

The redhead turned his head to look over his shoulder. "What? Why?"

"I have no idea."


	4. Chapter 4

**Oh... still reading? Well, Cartman's ridiculous counter-counter-plot is finally underway! **

This was a fine saturday. Way too fine to be waking up early just to attend one of Cartman's ridiculous "counterplot" meetings, even if he did pay for breakfast. Clyde wasn't used to waking up this early on the weekend, and from the looks of it; neither was Token.

"How late are we?" Clyde asked while rubbing his neck.

Token glanced at his watch. "10 minutes."

"We can afford to be even later. It's too early for this sorta thing." he yawned. "Remind me again _why _we're doing this?"

"Because Cartman's buying us all breakfast and if we didn't we'd either be sleeping all day or do nothing?"

"Fair enough."

That had been way too many words in one sentence, though, but Token did make a very valid point. Most weekends Clyde spent sleeping, playing video games and occasionally hanging out with his friends. His father had been very keen on getting him out of the house, though, which proved he should never tell his father anything about anything, unless he wanted to pay the price.

Clyde felt like he was going to fall asleep right there and then when his friend snapped him out of it, "Hey, there's Craig's house. Should we invite him?"

The brunette blinked a couple of times before he noticed the light brown house of the Tucker residence.

"He's probably asleep, like most sane people at this hour, but I suppose it would be rude not to invite him." he scratched his head.

They walked up to the house, but when Clyde raised his hand to knock on the door, Token stopped him. "We might wake the rest of his family, let's call him on his phone."

How Token was able to be so reasonable so early in the morning was beyond him, but he obliged nonetheless.

He pulled out his phone and called Craig's number, heard it ring a couple of times before a flat voice answered, "_Hey." _

"Hey, man." the brunette tried to sound as awake as possible. "Me and Token are outside your house. We wanted to see if perhaps you wanted to come with us to the Village Inn for breakfast."

"_It's too early. Besides, I'm busy." _

"Eh, yeah it's fucking early. The hell are you so busy with at 8 AM on a _Saturday?_"

"_That's none of your business." _

Clyde sighed. "You know where to find us if you change your mind, bud." he said and hung up.

"He won't change his mind."

"I know."

Clyde had long since gotten used to his friend's hostile nature. Craig had always been sort of emotionally _disabled, _which led to him often isolating himself from the rest of the world. He only showed signs of humanity when he was annoyed or mad, and he only expressed it by flipping people off. Craig had a long time ago made it very clear that he didn't need his friends' comfort, that he was doing just fine on his own, and so the brunette decided it was best not to press the matter further and just leave him to his business.

"Let's just go, I crave bacon if I'm expected to stay awake." Clyde urged Token, who smiled weakly in response.

"We're about 15 minutes late now, Cartman is probably pissed." Token announced.

"Well, what did the fatass even expect?"

"Good point, I guess."

As they were walking away, Clyde could've sworn he saw the curtains in Craig's room being drawn. "Hmph."

"What?"

"Nothing, I think."

* * *

Craig didn't really have any business to attend to, unless listening to his so called family quarrel qualified as such. All he could do was hope they wouldn't involve him by keeping to himself in his room. He lay in his bed, casually staring up into the ceiling, not thinking about anything in particular. He'd been awake for quite some time, even before Clyde had called and asked if he wanted to go out for breakfast. At the time, he'd rejected the idea, but in retrospect, it would have beat lying there doing nothing.

The _intense debate _had, quite disturbingly, somehow moved itself closer to his door, like it was only a matter of time before he would get dragged into its fiery heat. He needed to get out of the house before that happened, he really didn't feel like dealing with his family today. Or any day for that matter.

An unnerving itch under his skin told him he really needed a good smoke, and so he got up and quickly put on his blue jacket and chullo. He decided it was now or never, before he was officially a part of today's family feud, but as soon as he opened the door he found himself in the crossfire.

"WHY don't you ever listen to me?!" his mother screamed angrily at her daughter whilst his father held her back, as if he expected her to suddenly lash out.

"WHY don't you ever leave me alone, bitch?!"

"Don't call your mother a bitch!"

Craig had no desire whatsoever to be part of this argument, and tried his best to slip past the battleground undetected only to be spotted by his father.

"And where do you think you're going?" Thomas Tucker asked his son in a very accusing manner, still holding onto his wife.

Craig didn't feel like wasting a single breath on any of them and simply walked past, not even acknowledging their presence with so much as a sideways glance.

"Don't you ignore me, Craig!"

"What is wrong with _you _two?" his mother was furious, but had no right to be so.

"Craig!" his sister pleaded, no doubt wanting him to side with her, which he would naturally have done if he gave a rat's ass about any of them.

When he realized he wouldn't get out of this without a small contribution, he turned to face them, looked them dead in the eyes and flipped them all off.

As soon as he was out of the house, he pulled out his lighter and lit a calming cigarette. It was a beautiful morning, the sun shone brightly over the sleepy neighbourhood and for a moment Craig actually considered taking up on Clyde's offer to join up with them for breakfast.

He started walking with no particular goal in mind, puffing on his cigarette, smoke trailing behind him. After a while he found himself near a certain redhead's house, and came to an abrupt stop. Craig had always been the emotionless type, he'd never really cared for anything and found most people incredibly annoying, but Kyle Broflovski was different.

Without so much as a second thought to what he was doing, he pulled out his phone and sent Kyle Broflovski, the one person he actually felt like dealing with right now, a message.

_Breakfast?_

It surprised even himself that he would ask someone else out for food, then again, this wasn't just anybody. He had _feelings_ for Kyle, feelings completely foreign to him, but more than anything he wanted to find out what they meant. All his life he'd thrown himself into all sorts of fights just to feel _something_. The pain had been better than feeling nothing at all, but with time, even that had faded.

When he was outside the Broflovski residence he heard a door open and a second later he felt himself being embraced in a tight hug. Looking down, he saw a mess of red and green against his chest and for a moment he just stood there dumbfounded. He'd been taken aback by Kyle's sudden initiative when he remembered, and all the strange feelings he was harbouring surfaced again as he hugged the redhead back. He wanted to make Kyle happy, he wanted to protect him, he wanted to be a part of his life.

When Kyle looked up at him with those lovingly green eyes he smiled and thought to himself,

_is this what love feels like?_

* * *

**Village Inn, 8:24 AM**

Kenny hadn't originally planned on going to Cartman's stupid meeting, but when he wasn't able to convince Butters to do the same he'd _had _to go. He needed to make sure Cartman didn't make Butters do anything foolish or outright dangerous to achieve his own selfish goals, because it wouldn't be the first time.

The couple was sitting across from Cartman who was leaning back in his seat, arms crossed and reflecting over something. Tweek shook nervously beside him, sipping on his third cup of coffee, and Stan sat by the window next to Kenny eating scrambled eggs and bacon.

"Clyde and Token sure are late, huh…" Butters' sweet voice made Kenny shift closer to him.

"Probably decided not to come." Stan said.

"They'll be here, Stanley. They have to be." Cartman gestured for the waitress to come over. "A chocolate milkshake, please." he ordered without rearranging his position.

"Don't do that." Stan warned.

"Do what, Stanley?"

"That." said person rolled his eyes.

Kenny hated it almost as much as Stan when Cartman acted like an important suit. Back in the days he used to always go along with his friend's crazy schemes, but it was a different time now, and Kenny had done a lot of growing up. Also, he didn't like the dying. The crazy schemes he could cope with, but the dying… Kenny had been able to stay alive for 4 years straight now, and that wasn't about to change for the sake of some new plot.

As Stan and Cartman engaged in a staring contest, Butters, completely oblivious to the tension, got up and started waving at some new participants.

"Fellas, over here!" he directed Clyde and Token to their booth.

"Good of you to come, gentlemen." Cartman greeted without averting his eyes from Stan's deadly stare. "Now we can finally get down to business, right, Stanley?"

Stan merely scoffed at that. "Whatever, fatso."

Token seated himself next to Tweek while Clyde eyed Stan's meal hungrily. "I'll have what he's having."

When all the breakfast meals had been ordered and served, Cartman cleared his throat loudly. "Thank you all for coming, as you know, Kyle Broflovski is planning to sue the photo dojo, thus preventing me from getting my million dollars for my latest music video."

"And it still doesn't sound any better the second time around." Stan sighed.

"What's your plan to counter him, Eric?" Butters asked.

"Quite simple." Catman grinned. "We trap him."

"Who? Kyle?" Kenny arched a brow.

"Yes. The next time Kyle meets with his lawyer, we'll be there to put a stop to it." he pulled up a pen and notepad and started drawing.

"Judging by the frequency of their plot meetings and the release for my music video, I'd say it's highly likely they'll be meeting again today. Clyde I want you to keep an eye on Kyle until the lawyer shows up. Me, Stan and Tweek will be hiding outside his house. Kenny and Token will be our lookouts."

"What about me?" Butters asked anxiously.

"You - Butters - will have the most important task of all. I want you to infiltrate the Broflovski house and wait to ambush, and eliminate, the lawyer."

"Now HANG ON JUST A SECOND." Kenny slammed both his fists down on the table. "You're not tricking Butters into murdering someone. I won't let you make him take the fall for your stupid ideas again!"

Butters looked nervously from his boyfriend to his friend, obviously startled by Kenny's sudden outburst.

"Woah there, Kenny," Stan tried to calm his friend down. "but he's right, Cartman. You always make someone else take all the blame while you sit back and watch."

"Fine, fine, have it your way. Tweek will ambush him."

"WHAT?!" Tweek twitched and pulled at his hair. "NO! ARGH! Too much pressure! I can't do it!"

"You're missing the point, fatass. We're not murdering anyone." Stan said, with a lower voice this time, not wanting to draw more attention to themselves than they already had.

"Then what do you suggest, Stanley?"

"Just trap him! Surveillance! Confirm your suspicions before you do anything illogical."

Cartman took a sip from his milkshake and looked genuinely troubled by the sudden turn of events, frowning deeply.

"Very well. We'll surveillance the Broflovski's and as soon as the lawyer shows himself, we'll observe them and their plan."

At that, Kenny froze as realization came upon him and he remembered his talk with Kyle the other day. _Shit._

Kyle hadn't had a late night meeting with his lawyer, he probably didn't even have a lawyer, he'd been meeting with Craig. How could he not have seen it before? Kenny wasn't sure what to do, let Cartman execute his plan or tell them? It wouldn't be right for him to be the one to break the news to them, but could he put the new couple's privacy in jeopardy by keeping his silence and thus putting them at the risk of getting caught in the act?

"Something on your mind, Kenny?" Cartman asked suspiciously. "You seem a bit… abstracted."

"No…" then, Kenny knew what he had to do. He had to tell Kyle of Cartman's plans, but if he left now he'd raise too much suspicion, and knowing Cartman, he'd probably take him as some sort of prisoner and try to extract information from him.

Kenny waited impatiently as Cartman briefed them on his strategy once more, assigning everyone their positions, and to the blonde's relief he was stationed together with Butters on surveillance. Now he just needed to slip out of there and tell Kyle, but his haste seemed to be his own undoing.

"Why the hurry, Kenneth?" Cartman stopped him dead in his tracks. "You _know _something, don't you?" the counter-counterplot group all stared warily at Kenny now, even Stan. Butters was the only one packing up like nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Uh, no." Kenny answered carefully, ready to rush out at any moment.

"You've been spying for that sneaky jew all along, haven't you?"

"No, fatass, I don't give a fuck about your music video." Kenny said truthfully.

"That's exactly what a spy would say!" Cartman pointed at him.

"My God… so it is true…" Clyde said under his breath. "Hey, Cartman," he turned to the bigger brunette next to him, "will you share some of the money you make with your music video with us if we help you?"

"YES, fine, just get Kenny! He's a spy!" and with that, Clyde leaped at Kenny who realized this was his cue to get the fuck out of there.

He hurried out the door but didn't even make it across the parking lot as Clyde apprehended him. They wrestled on the ground for a bit before Kenny managed to kick the brunette of him and get up off the ground. Clyde was fast, though, but still not as fast as Kenny, and immediately went on the offensive again. They were on equal terms when it came to fighting ability, but Kenny's speed far exceeded Clyde's, which gave him the upper hand.

They battled it out on the parking lot of the Village Inn and for a while it looked like Kenny was actually going to win, until he felt a searing pain through his skull. As he went down he saw Cartman holding a metal tray in his hand, smiling devilishly. Butters was kneeling beside him, his eyes filling up with tears and uttering words Kenny couldn't understand.

He realized he'd seen this scene before, only in certain alteration, but where?

_Oh yes, _he thought, _in Game of Thrones. _

_Am I.._

_Eddard Stark?_

And then everything went black.

_[dramatic music playing]_


	5. The Unveiling Part 1

Kyle didn't mind Craig's silent demeanor, if anything, it made his affectionate, though few, gestures really stand out. He would sometimes smile lightly at Kyle's stories and theories, and return his careful flirting with more aggressive ones that ranged from a simple touch on his thigh to tender kisses on his cheek that made the redhead giggle not entirely unlike a little school girl. He'd never felt so happy before in his life, never so alive as he did with Craig, and he _never _wanted it to end. Only a few months earlier, he could never have imagined himself in a romantic relationship with _Craig Tucker_, a total badass who he'd never been particularly close to before, though, admittedly, he'd sometimes found himself dreaming about him. He'd often allowed himself to get lost in those dark eyes and deep voice, though the latter could sometimes prove to be a bit of a rarity, even now, two weeks into their relationship, but Kyle didn't mind.

More than once, some of the waitresses and other customers had glanced their way rather awkwardly, making Kyle feel insecure and silently pick at his food, but to his great relief, he didn't see anyone who could somehow be an associate with his parents, because that could very well be the end of him. He felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder and raised his head to see Craig looking back at him with a completely straight face, telling him, in his own way, to ignore them. Kyle simply smiled and resumed eating, and all the doubts and worries he'd been contemplating quickly dispersed. All except one.

"C-Craig?" he mused carefully.

The raven lay down his fork and looked to him with hooded eyes. His flat expression gave nothing away, while Kyle, on the other hand, was very much aware of himself being an open book for anyone to read.

"I just…" he began hesitantly, wondering just how to formulate this sentence as delicately as possible. "Why would you want to be with me?" he'd been asking himself this question ever since their first kiss. There was really nothing special about Kyle, he was an A+ student, played basketball and video games, and was generally just an average, though exceedingly intelligent, 18-year old. However, despite his above average intelligence, he still hadn't found the answer to that question.

Craig retreated momentarily, before smiling weakly, staring down at his plate. "I don't know." he admitted. "You're… different." he turned his gaze back to Kyle. "I'm sorry…" he said when he saw the redhead's slightly disappointed expression. "I'm not… used to, you know… this."

Kyle smiled sympathetically at Craig's expression, which seemed to be some sort of mixture of sadness and confusion. He really couldn't blame the raven-haired male, it wasn't hard to imagine that he'd never dated anyone before, or done anything even remotely romantic. He was the distant type, the lone wolf, the guy girls swooned over but couldn't get, the disobedient and perhaps even _malfunctioning_ hotshot. He leaned in and gently brushed their lips together.

He held his eye determinedly as they parted, "I know."

Craig smirked and rose from his seat. "Let's get out of here." he said, almost commanding. "I don't like how they're looking at us, either." his dark, hooded eyes skimmed the diner, and any glance that met them was quickly averted.

"Sure…" Kyle stood up and followed his boyfriend out of the diner and out on the streets, eyes planted firmly at his back to avoid potentially awkward eye contact.

They walked silently side-by-side, just generally enjoying each other's company, and to the untrained eye, appearing as any other pair of friends spending time together. Craig nudged Kyle playfully and smirked when the redhead blushed and slipped his hand into Craig's, entangling their fingers together.

"So," Kyle glanced at his phone, "it's only 10 o'clock…"

"Hm?" Craig furrowed a brow. "What do you suggest?"

"Wanna go watch a movie or something?"

It was obviously not the answer Craig had expected, but offered him a small smile nonetheless. "Sure."

Kyle's heart fluttered at the response. It felt like this was his first _real _date, and it was going so well, and there was no build up since they were far past the first-name basis _if you know what I am saying. _The redhead laughed spontaneously and tightened his grip on his boyfriend's hand, but was, only a moment later, struck by an unrelenting feeling of unrest as he spotted two very familiar figures further down the street. His eyes desperately searched for an escape, but were unsuccessful and shot up and locked with Craig's tranquilizing gaze. The tall teen nodded assuringly and slowly let go of his hand as they got closer. Kyle squeezed his hand one last time before they parted and the two figures spotted them.

"Oh, Kyle," his mother acknowledged, "we wondered where you went so early in the morning." she turned to Craig. "So you were out with a friend? You should've told us, I made breakfast thinking you'd be back in no time. Craig Tucker, is it?" she almost glared, which made Kyle angry.

He hated how most people, specifically adults, looked at Craig with such discontent, he hated how none of them looked past his reputation. He remembered how his parents used to tell him to stay away from Craig, said he was a bad influence on him and his friends, and back then, Kyle had obliged blindly, much to his own contemporary dismay. He wondered if perhaps they'd found each other earlier if he'd just tried to get to know him before taking other's by their word.

"Uh, yeah, I couldn't get a hold of Stan and the others so we decided to go out for breakfast ourselves." well, it wasn't a _complete _lie.

Craig remained blank-faced as Mr. and Mrs. Broflovski measured him with their judgemental eyes. Well, Sheila did, while Gerald seemed rather unaffected by his presence, like it was Stan or any other of his son's friends.

Just as Kyle was about to snap at them they turned their attention back to him, "Well, don't forget, we're having dinner with the Marsh and Stotch's tonight, don't be late."

That's right, Kyle had completely forgotten, since it was arranged over a month ago and postponed several times for some goddamn reason. "Right…" he replied dumbly, "when was that again?"

"5 PM sharp." Sheila Broflovski almost interrupted her son, and turned to her husband. "We should get going, lots to buy."

"Bye, kids." Gerald bade them farewell rather happily, as if trying to ease the awkward tension summoned by his wife. Kyle frowned at that, his father seemed to, almost desperately, cling to the illusion that they were still innocent children and not _young adults, _as all the teacher's called them.

When Kyle was sure his parents were far gone, he let out a heavy sigh and leaned on Craig for support, who put his arm around Kyle's shoulders.

"That was awkward." Craig finally said, still completely blank-faced.

"Shut up." Kyle attempted an offended pout despite his will to laugh at the remark. He was determined to let nothing, not even his parents, ruin this day.

"So, how about that movie?"

"Actually, I have something else in mind…" Kyle smirked suggestively, shifting his stance closer to his lover, thankfully aware of the pretty much empty space they were occupying, as the number of people actually roaming about in this part of the town, in the morning, could be represented in single digits.

"Oh?" Craig raised a curious brow and leaned in to whisper in his ear. "And what might that be?"

"Well, take me _someplace private_ and find out." he whispered back, tugging at Craig's jacket.

"Didn't take you for the horny-in-the-morning type, Broflovski."

"Well, if you'd rather see a movie then I guess that's okay." Kyle teased and took a step back, but was immediately pulled in close again and led away by Craig, who now wore a smug smile.

"I know just the place."

Kyle let Craig lead him through the streets of South Park which were now beginning to stir, clinging to his arm with both of his as he stumbled clumsily more than once in their haste, but the raven wouldn't let him fall. He never questioned where he was being taken, and simply accepted his boyfriend's assertiveness, but as soon as they entered a residential area he realized where they were headed and giggled.

"Are you sure?"

Craig gave him a sidelong glance. "It's my parents' anniversary," he explained curtly, "they probably left for Denver only minutes after I left the house, and knowing my sister, she's already off with her friends."

Kyle didn't bother asking about that whole arrangement, since he had a suspicion on what his answer would be. The Tucker's weren't the closest of families, as the redhead had observed over the years, his parents had never showed up on any school events and Craig never wanted to talk about them, the few times they were actually brought up in conversation it was in spiteful air. If anything, it made Kyle appreciate his relationship to his family, but also made him sympathize with his boyfriend's situation. Maybe, just maybe, if he could be accepted by Kyle's parents as his lover then he could be a part of their family... It was an uplifting idea, but it built on too many uncertainties for Kyle to even consider the possibility of it working out at this point. He was sure his mother would murder him if she found out he was gay, more so with Craig Tucker, the _one_ person she had over and over again told her son to stay the hell away from. His father, on the other hand, might accept it. Actually, he had a better chance on winning him over than his mother, so perhaps he could convince his father to persuade her? He would have to look into his options before working out some sort of plan, but for now, he consented to enjoying the love Craig gave him.

Just as Craig had said, his house was completely empty, save for the couple entering. As soon as the door closed behind them, the raven slumped down on the couch, dragging Kyle down with him. The redhead giggled as he shifted his sideways position in his boyfriend's lap, though the strong arms around his waist barely allowed him to move. He put his own arm around Craig's shoulders and removed his chullo, uncovering the jet-black hair beneath. The noirette smirked at that and began licking and sucking at Kyle's neck, leaving his mark upon pale skin. Kyle snickered and buried his fingers in that midnight black hair, never wanting this perfect moment to end.

"Craig…" he breathed.

The raven shot up at that and captured Kyle's lips in a lustful kiss, and the smaller male quickly found himself slightly parting his lips, allowing Craig entrance as their tongues engaged in a lewd dance. When they parted a single trickle of saliva stretched between their wet mouths.

"Wanna move this party to your room?" Kyle's lips cringed into a smile as Craig licked his, breaking the fine thread of saliva, before repositioning his lover so that they were facing each other. Their groins rubbed together gently at the sudden movement, the friction of it making Kyle moan aloud, much to Craig's pleasure.

Clothes were tossed to the floor quite mercilessly and as it was Kyle's turn to attack his boyfriend's neck he felt a curious hand run up his chest, and another up and down his back.

"Nah… let's just hang out down here for a bit longer…" Craig said in a tone that, despite it sounding like a low, hungry growl, was music to Kyle's ears. ~

* * *

**Cartman's Basement, 12:52 PM**

Butters struggled to free himself from Clyde's grip, but the older boy was much stronger than him, keeping him at bay. Eric and the others were circling around him and Kenny who was now strapped and contained to a chair in the middle of the room, still unconscious.

"What should we do with him?" Clyde asked. "He might have some useful information."

Eric paced back and forth in the area of his basement before he finally stopped before Butters to stare him dead in the eye. When the blonde didn't cease his struggling to return the stare, he gestured to Clyde who forcibly shoved Butters down on the floor and held him there in a police-esque manner, as if the young blonde was some dangerous criminal.

"And what should we do with you, Butters?" the fat teen crouched to even their eyes. "Are you a spy, as well?"

"No, I-I swear!" Butters' felt his eyes watering as he attempted to escape his _friend's _gaze to check on his boyfriend. "W-what are you going to do with him?"

"I'd be more worried about myself, if I were you." Eric rose and turned to Kenny who was beginning to wake.

"Ken!" Butters exclaimed as Kenny finally opened his eyes.

* * *

Kenny awoke to familiar voices pushing at the edge of his consciousness, drawing him out of his involuntary sleep. It took him a while to comprehend what was being said, and realized he knew who the voices belonged to, but as soon as he opened his eyes the sudden intake of light made his head ache terribly. He immediately shut them again and wailed,

_The fuck is going on? _was his first thought. _The hell am I? My head hurts like fuck. _

He tried to open his eyes again, this time more slowly, adjust them to the brightness of… _the basement? Cartman's basement? _

His blurry vision immediately discerned Butters, until a certain fatass positioned himself between them, looking down at him with an incriminate stare.

But Kenny would not let himself get intimidated, even in his pitiful state.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes." he made a half-assed attempt on a scoff, but failed miserably as he started coughing, making his head throb worse. He hissed in pain and looked up to see a rather amused Cartman.

"Look who's talking!" he laughed loudly. Then, in a more serious fashion, he put his hands on either side of the chair, leaning down to look the blonde dead in the eyes. "Tell me what you know of the jew's plans."

"For fuck's sake, not this again." Kenny spat. "Dude, can't you see how ridiculous this is?" he tried to push Cartman away and stand up, but found himself unable to do so. "You tied me to a chair? Motherfucker!"

"Don't act like you don't know! I KNOW you know what Kyle's planning!"

"Shut your goddamn face, fatass, Kyle's not planning anything unless-" he cut himself off in mid sentence, not sure how to continue, tell or keep his silence? It still wouldn't be right for him to be the one to tell them about Kyle's new relationship, but would they find out some other way if he didn't? It was all too confusing.

"Unless WHAT?" Cartman persisted.

"Please, just go and ASK him yourselves! Don't put me in the middle of this!"

"THAT SNEAKY JEW PUT YOU UP TO THIS, DIDN'T HE?!" Cartman practically screamed. "It's a trap, isn't it!?"

"NO! Goddamnit, Cartman, you dense dickhead!" he was about to throw more insults at the the teen in front of him when said person stepped aside, giving him a clear view of the situation. He saw Clyde pressing a gagged and teary eyed Butters down against the floor. Token was standing next to them, nonplussed, while Tweek was trembling anxiously farther off.

Assessing the situation, he came to the conclusion that they were holding Butters as their hostage, which meant that consequently, if Kenny didn't give them any information that were of value to them, they might hurt his love. _Damn them. _

"Butters here tried to save you from your fate, you see." Cartman explained."However, his good intentions gave us the perfect opportunity to blackmail you. Now, tell us everything about Kyle's plans and Butters will walk free."

Kenny bit his lip hard as Cartman repeated everything the blonde had already figured out for himself. He wanted to ask what they'd do with Butters if he didn't tell them _everything_, but decided not to for fear of what their answer might be. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned his head to see Stan looking down at him.

"Just co-operate, dude." he said dryly.

"Not you, too!" the blonde exasperated. "Fine, I'll tell you what I know, but you may not like it." he sighed heavily, _I'm sorry Kyle. _His hands were tied, literally, and he had run out of options, he had to tell them.

"Go on, _Kieenny._" Cartman said in that _special _tone of his.

"Kyle has-"

Then the tense moment was pierced and shattered by a signature ringtone, one they were all very familiar with at this point, even a tad bit sentimental toward nowadays. _Carry on my wayward son~, _it sung.

Cartman shot Stan, who was now fumbling with his phone, an angry glare, silently cursing him for the interruption.

"Sorry, that's my mom…" Stan apologized and waltzed over to a secluded corner.

Although Kenny had dodged a bullet there, it had still grazed him, and now, if anything, his demise had only been prolonged. It did gave him more time to think about his answer, though. He could say that Kyle had formed a relationship with someone they all knew, tell them the truth, but not the whole truth. He didn't want to risk Butters getting hurt, but at the same time he didn't want to betray his friend, which meant his answer should be extensive enough to benefit both parties in one way or the other. He did, for a moment, actually consider telling a _little white lie_, though that concept was quickly rejected by his better judgement, which was still struggling with the fact that Kenny was so defensive of Kyle when really he'd should've just stayed out of it. _I knew I should have just stayed home today. _Now it was too late to back out, all he could do was play along and hope everything would turn out okay in the end. At least it couldn't get much worse.

"Eh, guys," Stan returned, rubbing his neck, "me and Butters have to be home before 4, I had almost forgotten, but both our families are having dinner with Kyle's family over at their house tonight."

"You what!?" Cartman scolded. "That is the worst-" then, he paused, appearing rather mischievous. "That is perfect."

"It is?"

"Yes… You and Leopold must attend that dinner, Stanley."

"DON'T… wait, what?"

Cartman turned to Kenny, who made no attempt to hide the confusion from his face. "It seems we no longer have any further need for you, Kenneth," he grinned. "you can just watch us execute our own plan, knowing that there's nothing you can do about it!" he laughed and turned away. "Gag him!" he commanded before Kenny was able to protest.

"Damnit, Cartmaahhhmmmhmmm…" and just like that, things got worse.

He just hoped to God that Stan had enough sense to ask Kyle himself rather than blindly going along with Cartman's plan, but at the moment, that idea seemed very unlikely.

* * *

**NOTE: **my favourite (and longest) chapter so far! I really enjoyed writing this and it is my hope that you enjoyed reading it.

Also, I don't mean to make Cartman seem like the arch villain or something, (he's one of my favourite characters of all times tbh), but his personality make him almost perfect for the part XD I'll make him a wee bit more normal in later chapters and might pair him up with someone, thoughts?

If you're confused about something written so far, feel free to message me ;P

Reviews are greatly appreciated~


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